A brace by Peter Keyes condemned Tivoli Gardens to their fourth-consecutive defeat in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) as Boys’ Town came away with a 2-1 victory at Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday.

Keys opened the scoring in the 31st minute and later returned to nab the winner in the 65th, after Ranike Anderson found the equaliser for Tivoli with a 55th-minute strike.

Despite the win, Boys’ Town remain in ninth position on the 12-team standings with 33 points, while Tivoli Gardens remain in fifth on 38.

Winning coach Andrew Price was satisfied with his team’s performance.

“Right now it’s very important to accumulate points and I had told my team that the next five games are going to be very important. We have to start winning games and once we continue accumulating points, I don’t think we will be in any danger…. we just have to consistent for the remainder of the season, and we are going to take it one game at a time,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Price’s counterpart, Alvin Shaw, believes that his team can still sneak into the semi-finals.

“We just have to continue being professional about what we are doing and just continue working. We have not been consistent all season and occasionally we find a good patch and I am just hoping that patch will come again. There are five games left and mathematically we still stand a chance toward the semi-finals, so we are just going to keep working and see what the outcome will be,” he said.

The intensity of yesterday’s game was very evident from the first whistle as both teams were found guilty of overzealous challenges. It was Tivoli Gardens who enjoyed the better of play at the start and had their first look at goal in the fifth minute, but the ball was cleared off the line by recovering Boys’ Town defenders.

The visitors gradually settled and broke the deadlock through a well-weighted cross from Garfield Gillespie which was headed home by Keys. The scoreline would remain the same until 10 minutes after the resumption when national Under-23 representative Junior Flemmings delivered a well-taken corner kick which was expertly headed in by Anderson.

However, Boys’ Town found the winner 10 minutes later through a Rafiek Thomas- Peter Keys combination, which broke down the Tivoli Gardens defence and allowed Keys to calmly slot home.

The Collie Smith Drive-based team almost extended their lead, but it was not to be as substitute Mitchily Waul watched his well-struck right-foot shot come back off the upright.

Teams:

Tivoli — Edsel Scott, Kemar Flemmings, Ranike Anderson, Kasai Hinds, Christopher Jackson, Andre Morgan, Shawn McKoy(Paul Stewart 82nd), Ajuma Johnson(Shavar Campbell 70th), Junior Flemmings, Nicholas Scott(Rodico Wellington 63rd), Jamoy Sibblies.

Subs not used: Davin Watkins, Rohan Reid, Barrington Pryce, Mark Williams

Booked: Wellington (69th)

Boys’ Town — Kirk Porter, Victor Thompson, Pierre McPherson, Carlos Wright, Asrick Samuels, Daemion Benjamin, Garfield Gillespie, Marvin Stewart, Michael Campbell(Mitchly Waul 73rd), Rafiek Thomas(Shamar Nicholson 89th), Peter Keyes.

Subs not used: Leon Goffe, Chavanney Willis,Tkevin Garnett, Rohan Scott, Akeem Bradford

Booked: McPherson (8th), Samuels (65th), Porter (69th)

Referee: Veralton Nembhard

Assistant Referees: Omar Mills, Damion Williams

Fourth Official: Tyrone Robinson

Match Commissary: Michael Ricketts